Hot sweltering weather in Chennai
Whoever coined the phrase, ‘bright cheerful sunny day’ had not been to Chennai. Do you know what they say about the weather in Chennai? There are only 3 seasons in Chennai: hot, hotter, and hell!
Even though technically summer and summer vacation are over and schools have reopened, it still is either ‘hot’ or ‘hotter’ depending on your luck. ‘Hell’ is over with May. Or is it? It still displayed 110F on my mobile yesterday, and Chennai is the most sultry and humid place to live. Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love my home and my life here, but it still has its disadvantages.In the beginning of summer, we decided that my son and I would spend the entire summer at my parents’ place. I was born and brought up there, and the weather is just awesome. It is located at the base of a hill station and you can find rolling plains, lush green fields, and pleasant weather with cool breeze all through the year. Heaven indeed!
But things did not happen the way we planned. I was in Chennai for two full months, getting baked at 110 F. I was not used to it. Neither was my son. I did my best to keep him well hydrated. We avoided the sun like the plague. Forget the sun blocks and creams and lotions; we never stepped out of home until after 6 PM when the sun set.
The best laid plans hardly get executed. My son got severe prickly heat rashes all over his neck and back. It was very painful – the worst for him in a long time. We tried so many coolant powders, neem leaf paste, hydrants, home remedies, but the heat did not subside and so his body did not respond. We were all going mad.
We tried to keep him in sleeveless shirts or wide round neck T-shirts, but he would often rip off his shirt in sheer frustration. Staying clothed was a pain for the six-year-old.
By the way, we do not have power in our house from 2 PM to 4 PM – the time the sun-god unleashes his maximum fury. This was subject to change every month. We were stuck to this power cut during the entire month of May. Power outages exist all over South India, and apparently the government thinks this is the best way to mitigate the power shortage. I can even show you a government time-table for the power cut schedule. It even has a grand title: Power Cut Schedules in Chennai Areas. I bet you would crack up if you are in a good mood, huh?
When school reopened, my son’s teachers were full of suggestions and well-intentioned advice about how to manage the heat, what to apply on his rashes, and what not to do.
Still rain eluded us. The heat wave did not abate. In the neighbouring state, 250 people had died due to the heat wave making me say a prayer that I was here and not there.
In all my frustration, I prayed for just a few drops. I promised to eat spinach. I promised to be better disciplined mother. I promised to be a dutiful wife. I promised to cook every day. I promised to keep my home tidy enough to be featured in Good Housekeeping magazine. I just hoped god up in heavens would open up his garden faucet.
Some of our neighbours had started sleeping on the terrace because there were breezes during the night. The ceiling fan more walked than ran; the air conditioner refused to purr because of the voltage fluctuations. Oh yes, voltage fluctuations in the night was another of our “blessings” to include in ever-expanding list of complaints.
I wished and willed the entire night for the rains. I really needed only a few drops. I needed enough to make the weather pleasant, enough rains so that the heat abates, enough showers to sooth my son’s heat rashes.
And then, miraculously, there were few drops the next morning. They lasted for 10 full seconds. No one would believe me. Not my neighbours, not my husband, but they felt that the heat had receded. Most of them thought I had started getting delirious in the heat. Later that night, we found out that in certain areas, it did actually drizzle.
The heat is not so scorching now. My son’s rashes have become milder. I need to find some home remedies to remove the dark spots the rashes are leaving behind. His boils have vanished. It is not so hot anymore. The mercury still hovers around 100 – 105 F. But, like they say, the evil has gone from the weather. It will still take a long time for the mercury to come down to acceptable levels. But, I have to say, this sure is as close to heaven as it will get in Chennai. And I hope my son gets accustomed to this kind of weather sooner rather than later.
How is the weather like where you live? Are you and your family used to it? If not, how are you coping up with it?
This is an original post to World Moms Blog by Purnima, our Indian mother writing from Chennai, India. Her contributions to the World Moms Blog can be found here. She also rambles at The Alchemist’s Blog.
Photo credit to Office.com’s free clipart gallery.
Purnima Ramakrishnan
Purnima Ramakrishnan is an UNCA award winning journalist and the recipient of the fellowship in Journalism by International Reporting Project, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Her International reports from Brazil are found here . She is also the recipient of the BlogHer '13 International Activist Scholarship Award . She is a Senior Editor at World Moms Blog who writes passionately about social and other causes in India. Her parental journey is documented both here at World Moms Blog and also at her personal Blog, The Alchemist's Blog. She can be reached through this page . She also contributes to Huffington Post . Purnima was once a tech-savvy gal who lived in the corporate world of sleek vehicles and their electronics. She has a Master's degree in Electronics Engineering, but after working for 6 years as a Design Engineer, she decided to quit it all to become a Stay-At-Home-Mom to be with her son! This smart mom was born and raised in India, and she has moved to live in coastal India with her husband, who is a physician, and her son who is in primary grade school. She is a practitioner and trainer of Heartfulness Meditation.
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In Cape Town we joke that if someone doesn’t like the weather all they need do is wait 10 minutes! 🙂
Jokes aside, I always advise visitors to our fair city to dress in layers and keep an umbrella in the car, because weather also changes depending on which side of Table Mountain you happen to be! So often the sun is shining when you leave home but it’s pouring with rain at your destination! I actually have an “emergency rain poncho” which lives permanently in my handbag!!
lol! It should always be exciting. Ok, maybe not if it happens everyday.
I can imagine what it must be like to always be prepared for every type of weather.
In Cape Town we joke that if someone doesn’t like the weather all they need do is wait 10 minutes! 🙂
Jokes aside, I always advise visitors to our fair city to dress in layers and keep an umbrella in the car, because weather also changes depending on which side of Table Mountain you happen to be! So often the sun is shining when you leave home but it’s pouring with rain at your destination! I actually have an “emergency rain poncho” which lives permanently in my handbag!!
lol! It should always be exciting. Ok, maybe not if it happens everyday.
I can imagine what it must be like to always be prepared for every type of weather.
Wonderful post! I could sense the intensity of the heat and its consequences. Living in a typically rain-soaked part of the world, my son and I do sun salutations in order to get a little sunshine!!
Thank you Sara. Oh, we wouldnt do for one drop of rain. Perhaps, my son and I should do ‘rain salutations’ from today 😉 ha ha.
Wonderful post! I could sense the intensity of the heat and its consequences. Living in a typically rain-soaked part of the world, my son and I do sun salutations in order to get a little sunshine!!
Thank you Sara. Oh, we wouldnt do for one drop of rain. Perhaps, my son and I should do ‘rain salutations’ from today 😉 ha ha.
Wow! sounds hot! My family and i love the hot weather, it makes us so happy, and i’m all about the happy. Look for the twinkles, follow the winks, and find your happy. 😉 – the twinkle teacher
twinklesandwinks@gmail.com.
http://www.twinklesandwinks.com
Wow! sounds hot! My family and i love the hot weather, it makes us so happy, and i’m all about the happy. Look for the twinkles, follow the winks, and find your happy. 😉 – the twinkle teacher
twinklesandwinks@gmail.com.
http://www.twinklesandwinks.com
wow! my family and i love the hot weather! it makes us happy and i’m all about the happy! look for twinkles, follow the winks, and find your happy. 😉 -The Twinkle Teacher
twinklesandwinks@gmail.com
http://www.twinklesandwinks.com
Thanks for stopping by. Maybe hot weather is happy definitely because like they say, “rise and shine, the sun is bright”. But living in a tropical country alas, we cant say that. We definitely love the cooler temperatures.
wow! my family and i love the hot weather! it makes us happy and i’m all about the happy! look for twinkles, follow the winks, and find your happy. 😉 -The Twinkle Teacher
twinklesandwinks@gmail.com
http://www.twinklesandwinks.com
Thanks for stopping by. Maybe hot weather is happy definitely because like they say, “rise and shine, the sun is bright”. But living in a tropical country alas, we cant say that. We definitely love the cooler temperatures.
I have the opposite issue – rain! I live outside Seattle, and while the total rainfall isn’t greater than many other areas (in fact, I think NYC gets more accumulated rainfall), it is spread through 3 seasons of the year (with 2 months off in summer if we are lucky), usually falling in a fine mist. It’s gray here alot. Very gray. I get the winter blah’s. This June has been especially rainy, which counteracts the start of our summer season. Schools get out and people want to go swimming or run around in shorts, but yesterday I had on a down vest. Your post, though, is reminding me to think about the alternatives. I don’t do well in scorching heat, so I suppose if I have to tough our some weather pattern, light rain is just fine. 😉 I wish you all some relief too!
I have the opposite issue – rain! I live outside Seattle, and while the total rainfall isn’t greater than many other areas (in fact, I think NYC gets more accumulated rainfall), it is spread through 3 seasons of the year (with 2 months off in summer if we are lucky), usually falling in a fine mist. It’s gray here alot. Very gray. I get the winter blah’s. This June has been especially rainy, which counteracts the start of our summer season. Schools get out and people want to go swimming or run around in shorts, but yesterday I had on a down vest. Your post, though, is reminding me to think about the alternatives. I don’t do well in scorching heat, so I suppose if I have to tough our some weather pattern, light rain is just fine. 😉 I wish you all some relief too!
I often complain about the heat here in the western part of Tennessee, USA and now I will most likely think of you when the mercury rises in my part of the world. I’ve gotten so spoiled to the everyday things in my life, such as constant electricity and air conditioning 24/7. Your description of your world and your feelings made me want to imagine standing in your shoes and seeing, feeling, living …it with you. I pray that you and your family find relief from the heat and much needed rain very soon….and I hope your son heals quickly from the rashes. 🙂
I often complain about the heat here in the western part of Tennessee, USA and now I will most likely think of you when the mercury rises in my part of the world. I’ve gotten so spoiled to the everyday things in my life, such as constant electricity and air conditioning 24/7. Your description of your world and your feelings made me want to imagine standing in your shoes and seeing, feeling, living …it with you. I pray that you and your family find relief from the heat and much needed rain very soon….and I hope your son heals quickly from the rashes. 🙂
Oh we folks at Singapore feel you! Haha. It’s just as hot here on our sunny island, though it might get better if it rained the whole day.
Oh we folks at Singapore feel you! Haha. It’s just as hot here on our sunny island, though it might get better if it rained the whole day.
Oh we folks in Singapore feel you! It’s alway sunny here too except if it rained the whole day, which means it would be a gloomy day..
Oh we folks in Singapore feel you! It’s alway sunny here too except if it rained the whole day, which means it would be a gloomy day..